The theft of property from vehicles such as trucks, vans, recreational vehicles, trailers, and the like, or stationary structures such as stores, warehouses, garages, barns, and the like, is problem of constant concern, and has fueled the need for high-quality locks to keep doors securely closed and prevent unauthorized access.
A thief attempting to gain access to the contents of a vehicle or structure often attacks the lock, and over the years, there have been many attempts to develop locks and other devices which deter criminals by making it more difficult to tamper with or disable the lock. For example, conventional padlocks with a u-shaped shackle are a prime target for thieves, since the shackle can be easily cut with a bolt cutter or sawed off with a hacksaw.
Other high-security, non-conventional padlocks have been created in an attempt to protect vehicles, truck bodies, slot machines, automatic teller machines and other areas and equipment against unauthorized entry. A number of such high-security padlocks have a generally short, cylindrical body shape, resembling a hockey-puck. Locks of this sort are shown in Best U.S. Pat. No. 3,404,549; Randel U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,821; and Best U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,360. The principal difference between these cylindrical locks and the conventional padlocks is, of course, the fact that it did not have the usual U-shaped link or shackle, i.e., that it had no exposed element which could be rapidly and relatively easily cut through by a bolt cutter or sawed through by a hacksaw.
To further enhance the security afforded by these cylindrical locks, guards have been designed to surround the lock bodies and prevent or inhibit the lock bodies from attack by pry bars or other instruments. Guards of this sort are shown in Perfetto U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,574 and Albano U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,255. For example, Perfetto discloses a locking system utilizing a padlock guard which is designed specifically for use with a cylindrical lock. The lock has a flat-faced cylindrical housing and an internal key cylinder-operable bolt which can be selectively protracted through and retracted from a hasp staple or the like inserted into a channel in the housing which intersects the path of movement of the bolt. A previously affixed guard encircles the lock which, by virtue of its interposed position between a tampering tool and the lock, minimizes the unauthorized non-key removal of the lock.
While the cylindrical locks and lock-protecting guards of the aforesaid and all other known prior art efforts are generally effective for the purposes intended, none of the previous cylindrical locks and lock-protecting guards provide means for securing the cylindrical lock when the lock is not in use. For example, such a lock and protective guard are often used on the back doors of trucks or vans. The protective guard is affixed to one or both of the rear doors. When the doors are opened, i.e., for loading and unloading the contents of the truck, the lock is not in use. The individual that is loading/unloading the truck may place the lock on the rear bumper, or the ground until their task is complete. This often results in misplacing or losing the lock, which is not inexpensive to replace. Hence, there is the need for a protective guard for cylindrical locks which allows the user to securely store the lock when it is not in use.